by M. Sparga

Created on: April 10, 2009

No matter what your budget is, you can plan a lovely wedding day that fits within it and still gives you and your guests plenty of great memories to cherish. To keep your wedding costs within control, you just have to strategize about what is most important to you and your fiance and look for creative ways to save money during all stages of the planning. Here are some money-saving tips to help you get started:

Shop Around

Make sure you do your research for all major wedding day reservations and purchases, from the venues and vendors to the outfits and transportation. If you know anyone else who has planned a wedding in the area recently, tap them for recommendations. Some vendors will give you a discount if you mention the couple who referred you to them, and even better, some vendors will give you an after-the-fact discount for recommending them to other engaged couples.

When you pick a vendor to work with, such as a wedding planner or florist, talk to them about the line items that they charge for. Maybe you can negotiate your total cost down by cutting out a few extra floral arrangements or by providing dinner for them at the reception.

Photography and Videography

One of the biggest expenses of a typical wedding is the photographer. Sure, a professional has all the latest lenses and touch-up software around, but if you can live with slightly more amateurish photos or video, you can save a big chunk of your budget just by asking an acquaintance or two to capture the day on film. A fair compromise might be to hire a professional to snap your still photos and then have your avid photographer friend do the filming.

If you do hire a professional, think about hiring them for as few hours as possible, or at least talk to them in advance about putting a limit on how many photos they take during their allotted time. Some wedding photographers will give you a discount if you specify for them to take, for example, 500 photos instead of unlimited shots. You won't have as many photos to choose from, but you're still sure to get a good variety.

Cake

First of all, shop around for your cake bakery just as you would for any other wedding vendor. Some bakeries have scrumptious cakes with to-die-for frosting at a fraction of what the most well-known bakeries charge.

For extra cost savings, think about getting a small cake, just a couple tiers tall, decorated simply but elegantly. You can supplement the rest of your cake needs with sheet cakes, which cost much less but taste exactly the same. Your guests will still get to admire a frilly wedding cake at the reception, and when they dig into their own slice, they won't care whether or not it actually came from a sheet cake hidden from view.

Reception Music

If you can handle having a predetermined set list of music at your reception, you might want to consider cutting out the cost of a DJ and just using an iPod or other mp3 player to provide the tunes. It's helpful to have a designated MC, perhaps a friend or relative, to introduce the wedding party and announce events such as the first dance and bouquet toss. Just make sure you've loaded the mp3 player or laptop with a good mix of songs (that preferably appeal to a wide audience) for slow and fast dancing, and be sure you test out the reception venue's sound system ahead of time.

One common theme among all these wedding cost-saving strategies is that asking for help from your friends and family can enable you to have all the trimmings of a full-blown wedding day for a fraction fo the cost. Obviously you don't want to abuse your loved ones' help, but there's no harm in asking and, if they accept, showing your gratitude before, during, and after the wedding.

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